


Searching for Socks and Finding Love

by LouiseLouise



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, Light Angst, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love, oblivious idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:47:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28961199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LouiseLouise/pseuds/LouiseLouise
Summary: Eddie’s been having strange dreams about finding the perfect socks. It takes him a little bit of time and some outside help to decipher their meaning.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 316





	Searching for Socks and Finding Love

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to the wonderful [marciaelena](https://archiveofourown.org/users/marciaelena) for the beta! All remaining mistakes are mine, English is not my first language.
> 
> The 118 only plays a small part in this story, and so does Christopher.

“Interesting dreams?” Hen asks as Eddie joins the team in the firehouse kitchen. 

He’s been having strange dreams lately while taking naps in the bunk room, but he hasn't shared them with anyone, not even Buck. “How do you--?”

“You talk in your sleep, _Eddito_ ,” Chim says with a grin.

“Nothing really embarrassing, though,” Buck says, and Eddie’s thankful his best friend has his back, even in silly situations like this. “It’s nothing compared to talking about your crush on your science teacher while you’re at camp with your entire class.”

Ah, yes, that’s more like Buck.

“I’m never telling you anything again. Ever,” Eddie says, faking being offended. He’s always talked in his sleep, and he’s always hated knowing that his own brain could betray him at any time. Shannon always found it funny. She loved seeing that vulnerable side of him, but vulnerability is not something he wants to show here, not at work with the people who are supposed to put their trust in him. “So, are you gonna at least tell me what I said?”

“Something about socks,” Hen says. “They didn’t match with your heart, and you needed to find _the_ ones.”

Eddie sighs. It’s not that bad; as dreams go, it could’ve been more embarrassing. “Yeah, I have no idea where that’s coming from. I’ve been dreaming about finding socks every other day this month. It’s like some quest I fail at every time. I don't even know what these socks I'm looking for look like. But I just never find the right ones.”

“Have you been playing video games with Chris lately?” Buck asks. “Because that sounds like a quest out of one of those.” 

Eddie shakes his head. The kind of games he plays with Chris have quests sometimes, but this dream feels more like one with a hidden meaning instead of just his brain recycling real life moments.

“Well, maybe it’s simpler than that,” Bobby chimes in with a kind smile. “Your feet are cold at night and your mind is telling you to put on socks.” 

Eddie hums. “Maybe.” He doesn't want to contradict his captain, but his feet have never been overly cold. He wonders if he’ll ever understand the meaning of these dreams, but the alarm rings then, cutting the conversation short as they all rush to the trucks.

It happens again, three times at the firehouse and once when he’s spending the night at Buck’s after an evening out with the team, which leads him to think that the dreams are connected to his job. He doesn’t need a new job, though, wouldn’t trade being a firefighter for the world. So if that’s the message, he’s rejecting it.

“Still haven’t found those perfect socks, huh?” Buck asks the next morning before setting two giant mugs of coffee on the table.

Eddie shakes his head no. “And I still don’t know what it’s all about. This time I was trying on some fluffy socks that had giant suction cups underneath, and I was stuck in place. And then I think a dalmatian passed by, wearing blue socks that apparently were the ones I was searching for, but I couldn’t move to go after it.”

“Okay, very strange. But hey, at least it’s nothing too dark, not a nightmare. And now you know what the socks look like!”

Buck’s genuine smile makes Eddie smile in return. That’s one of the many things he loves about this man; Buck’s happiness is contagious, and it makes him feel better when he needs it the most.

“I’m not sure how that helps anything, but I’ll take the win.” Eddie would still love to figure out the mystery of the sock dreams, but right this moment sharing coffee with Buck trumps everything else.

-

Three shifts later, and just as many dream quests and strange conversations with his teammates trying to decipher their meaning, Eddie steps into the locker room for his next shift to find a small paper bag taped to his locker. There’s a golden ribbon around the handles that he undoes gently. In the bag there’s a pair of socks, but no note or clue about who left it there for him to find.

The socks are a deep blue with little yellow stars all over, and on each sole a word is knitted, _sweet_ and _dreams_. They look a lot like the socks in his dreams, and the coincidence is troubling.

Only a few people know about his dreams, and even fewer what the dream socks look like. All of them are already there when he walks up the stairs, scattered around the lounge, sitting in the chairs and couch. Anyone of them could’ve had the idea of that gift, and Eddie’s not sure why they chose to stay anonymous. 

"So who do I have to thank for these?”

Buck grabs the socks out of Eddie's hands without a warning. “Cute,” he says. 

So they're not from Buck. And considering the looks and shrugs from the rest of his teammates, not from them either. 

“So are they the ones you’ve been looking for?” Hen asks.

“Almost, yeah. Maybe now I'll stop questing in my dreams,” Eddie says, only half believing his words. “Anyway, thank you to whoever these came from. It’s a nice thought.”

“I can’t wait for your next nap to discover what you’re gonna dream and talk about now,” Chim says, grinning.

The day goes by like any other, and they’re back resting in the bunks a few hours into the shift. When he wakes up, Eddie stays still for as long as he can, trying to engrave on his mind the new dream he just had. 

His dream self finally found the right socks, though they looked nothing like the ones he received from his mystery gifter. They were covered in little hearts that beat in sync with his footsteps. They fit perfectly and made him feel like dancing, which is not something Eddie does. Ever.

Thankfully this time no one was around to hear him talking in his sleep, so he won’t have to look like an idiot who dreams about magic socks bringing him happiness. And maybe the next dream will be clearer and he’ll finally understand what his brain is trying to tell him.

-

"Awww, you're wearing them," Buck says, sitting next to Christopher on the couch as they wait for Eddie to come back from the kitchen with popcorn.

"They’re perfectly good socks, of course I'm wearing them. Even if I don't get why it was an anonymous gift."

"Maybe you have a secret admirer, dad," Christopher says with the purest smile. 

"Maybe," Eddie answers, not sure how to feel about that. Someone must’ve heard their conversations at the station, then, because none of his closest teammates and friends could be this secret admirer, since they're all either happily in love, or they're… Buck. And no matter how much Eddie would like Buck to be that person, he knows there's no chance of that ever happening.

"Maybe it’s just someone at the firehouse trying to do something nice for you, but being too shy about it," Buck suggests. "Or insecure."

"Well, no offense, but there's no one there I can think of that I'd like to be wooed by." _Except you_ , Eddie thinks, but no one needs to know that.

Buck's face contorts into a strange grimace.

"What?"

Buck shakes his head, and the grimace turns into his usual smile. "Not even Bobby uses that word, old man.”

Eddie laughs, trying to think of something witty to reply with, but Christopher speaks before he does.

"Dad, can we watch the movie now?"

Eddie nods and waves at Buck to start the movie. Every now and then he wiggles his toes, delighting in how fluffy the socks feel, amazed that someone went through the trouble of finding them for him, yet hoping that no one at the 118 is expecting anything in return that he can’t give them. 

-

“Ah, fuck.” Eddie keeps his eyes closed as the image of him kissing Buck starts to fade. He’s never dreamed about it before. Daydreamed, yes. _Dreamed_ dreamed, never, and if his feelings are so intense that they’re invading that part of his life, he’s fucked. He won’t be able to let go and move on, and accept that his relationship with Buck will never be romantic the way he wishes it to be. 

“You look like shit,” Buck says, joining Eddie in the kitchen moments later. His hair is a mess of wild curls and for a second Eddie gets lost in the desire to brush his fingers through it. "Did you dream about socks again?" 

Eddie nods, leaning against the counter. It’s not really a lie, more like a partial truth. Very partial. “This time I put them on but they turned into a person and we--” He shakes his head, stopping the retelling before the kiss. “Never mind.”

“Sorry, doesn’t sound fun,” Buck says, gently pushing Eddie away from the stove to take over preparing breakfast.

“Not your fault. My mind is playing with me, that’s all. Next movie night we’re leaving Chris with Pepa so we can watch some horror flick to try and override the sock story in my mind.”

“So I’ll be the one having nightmares instead? Oh, I see how it is!” Buck says, laughing. He pauses for a moment, focusing back on the eggs slowly cooking in the pan. “Hey, I know we joke about this, but is that dream thing bothering you more than you show?”

“No. Yes. I mean, it’s just…” Eddie’s not sure what he can say. What really bothers him is dreaming about his best friend in inappropriate scenarios; it’s people finding his dreams funny when the dreams are teasing him with a hidden message he doesn’t understand. It’s knowing that someone in this firehouse might have feelings that Eddie can’t reciprocate. 

He takes out plates and cutlery, trying to find words that won’t reveal too much, but still allow him to be honest. “I can’t figure out what the dreams mean, and then I got this sweet gift from someone I don’t know and… I wouldn’t want anyone to have expectations that I can’t fulfill, you know?”

"Maybe you'd be surprised? In a good way? I know you said there's no one you--"

"There is. They're just not interested," Eddie says, hoping it’ll be enough to stop Buck from insisting.

"There is? Eddie, that's great."

"Did you not hear the part where I said they're not interested?"

"Did you ask?”

Eddie shakes his head no.

“Then how do you know?"

"Who would be, Buck? I'm a mess. I have a kid that comes before everything else, a truck I can barely afford, and possibly anger management issues."

"We're all a mess, Eddie.” Buck turns around, pointing the spatula at him, waving it to emphasize his points. “Anyone who loves you can see how much you care about your son, and should love you even more for that. You'll finish paying for that truck, eventually. And you haven’t given up on therapy, no matter how uncomfortable you feel about it. You should be proud."

Buck's smiling again and Eddie almost believes he'd make a good catch. Almost. "No one would…"

"I would." 

Eddie freezes in place, staring back at Buck.

"I know that's not what you want to hear but I would, Eddie. And whoever your heart is set on would be lucky to have you."

"Buck, what--"

Buck sighs. "Shit. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to… to dump that on you like that. The point is, don't sell yourself short, okay?"

They stare at each other in silence and time seems to stop as Eddie tries to put all the pieces together.

"The socks, that was you, right?” he finally asks.

Buck nods shyly. 

“Why didn’t you say so?”

“Didn’t want you to feel pressured to give something back. I don’t expect anything from you, Eddie, I swear, okay? Nothing more than what we already have.”

“You’re an idiot.”

Buck frowns.

“But then, I’m an idiot too,” Eddie adds, moving towards Buck until he’s close enough to put his hand on Buck’s cheek, pulling him closer to press a kiss onto his lips. He doesn’t linger there despite his desire to do so; instead he takes a step back, so they can look at each other. See each other. So Buck can understand what Eddie means with that kiss.

"Surprise," Eddie whispers. "You're the one my heart is set on."

“That... that feels too good to be true,” Buck says, resting his hand on top of Eddie’s on his cheek. 

“Yeah, for me too, Buck. I never imagined that you would...”

“I do,” Buck says, leaning in and kissing Eddie back, and it does feel like a dream. Like Eddie’s finally completed his quest.

“You’re the socks,” he blurts out, letting go of Buck for a second, taken aback by the realization. 

“I’m what, now?”

“The socks in those damn dreams, the ones I’ve been looking for all this time. The ones with hearts beating in sync with my own.”

Buck chuckles and Eddie hopes he can spend the rest of his days listening to that enchanting sound. The dreams were never about socks, after all; it was only his mind pointing him in the direction of his happiness.

All Eddie had to do was find his match.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! You can find it on tumblr [there](https://theladyandthewolves.tumblr.com/post/641218302339842048/searching-for-socks-and-finding-love).
> 
> Kudos, emoji and comments warm my soul and help me write more ♥


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